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Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Benefit: Holiday Designer Show House At Louisville’s Chestnut Hall

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation will open the doors of the historic house at TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall this December for the second annual Holiday Designer Show House to benefit the organization's herd of nearly 450 retired racehorses.

The historic farmhouse will be grandly decorated inside and out with exquisite decor in rooms designed by Cherry House Galleries, KP Design, Hound & Hare LLC, Jason Jennings Interior, Debhelin Designs, Living Spaces, Little Lavender Company, Julia Carstanjen, Mandeline Hetzel Interiors and All Lit Up. This event is being staffed by volunteers and friends of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

The event will run from Dec. 2 through Dec. 10 and the house will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. This year's event has been expanded to include the entire farmhouse and the barn. Tickets are $25 in advance and can be purchased at www.trfinc.org or for $30 at the door. Kicking off the nine-day event, there will be a special “Preview Night” on Thursday, Dec. 1, featuring a cocktail reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Tickets for the Preview Event are $75.

The TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall, located on 25 picturesque acres in Prospect, Ky., opened in April of 2021 and is home to several members of the Thoroughbred Retirement herd where they serve as equine ambassadors to the local community. The farm has hosted numerous events since opening and has welcomed thousands of visitors through tours with Visit Horse Country.

About TRF: Founded in 1983, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is a national organization devoted to saving Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete at the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse, and slaughter. As the oldest Thoroughbred rescue in the country, the TRF provides lifelong sanctuary to retired Thoroughbreds throughout their lifetime.

Best known for its pioneering TRF Second Chances program, the organization provides incarcerated individuals with life-changing vocational training through its accredited equine care and stable management program. At eight correctional facilities across the US, including one juvenile justice facility, this program offers second careers to its horses and a second chance at life for program graduates upon release from prison.

For more information visit: http://www.trfinc.org/

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KENA: How Is Kentucky Preparing For Large Animal Vet Shortage?

The looming crisis in large-animal veterinary care has been recognized for years, but it wasn't until recently that the ramifications of this deficit have made themselves known. While horse owners in Central Kentucky might feel insulated from the effects of a veterinarian shortfall, most of the Commonwealth – and the United States — is not immune to the situation.

Though there are many facets compounding the rapid decline of practicing large-animal vets, efforts are being made to try to entice vets to enter or stay in large-animal medicine. To learn what some of these initiatives are, the Kentucky Horse Council's (KHC) next Kentucky Equine Networking Association (KENA) dinner will host a panel of experts on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Kentucky Horse Park Visitor Center in Lexington.

Though most horse owners are aware of what they can personally do to alleviate some of these pressures vets feel, including lack of a work-life balance, increasing debt loads and lack of adequate pay, stress and escalating on-call requirements, what is being done to address this issue on a larger scale? Kentucky's Department of Agriculture and the state's veterinary community have proposed multiple ways to encourage those in vet med to stay with a large-animal focus.

KENA attendees will learn about some of these ideas as well as have the chance to ask questions of those leading the charge. Presenters include Kentucky State Veterinarian Dr. Katie Flynn and Debra Hamelback, executive director of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA). Questions from the audience are welcomed.

During the dinner, Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Lee Carter will apprise attendees of the updates slated for the Park in 2023 and beyond. A brief annual meeting for Kentucky Horse Council members will be held before panelists speak in the Ovation Theater in the Visitors Center. The Kentucky Horse Park gift shop will remain open for attendees to get a head start on holiday shopping before the meal is served. Kentucky Horse Council members get 20 percent off all purchases in the KHP gift shop. Become a member here.

KENA is part of the Kentucky Horse Council's mission to use education and leadership to protect Kentucky horses and support Kentucky horsemen and women. KENA meetings are held quarterly and bring together equine professionals and horse enthusiasts from all breeds and disciplines. Attendees share ideas, business strategies, and obtain up-to-date information on horse and farm management, as well as on issues affecting the equine industry.

Want to be sure your question is addressed? Email info@kentuckyhorse.org.

Tuesday, November 15, 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Kentucky Horse Park

Networking & shopping at the KY Horse Park gift shop: 5:00 to 6:00 PM

Dinner: 6:00 to 6:30 PM

KHC Annual Meeting: 6:30 to 6:45 PM

Presentation and Discussion: 6:45 to 8:00 PM

Location: Kentucky Horse Park Visitor Center

4089 Iron Works Pike

Lexington, KY 40511

KENA provides an educational and social venue for equine professionals and horse enthusiasts from all breeds and disciplines. Organized by the Kentucky Horse Council, KENA provides the opportunity for attendees to share ideas, business strategies and knowledge; and to obtain up-to-date information on horse and farm management, as well as on issues affecting the equine industry. This program is graciously sponsored by the Equine Land Conservation Resource, Excel Equine, Lexington Equine Medical Group, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Mend.Horse, University of Louisville Equine Industry Program, and USA Equestrian Trust.

Interested in sponsoring this event? Click here.

For details and reservations, click here. Tickets are $30.

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Older And Slower? Study Shows Parental Age Correlated To Thoroughbred Speed

Researchers from the University of Exeter have found that parental age at conception had a detrimental effect on a racehorse's speed. On average, the speed of a Thoroughbred racehorse declines as the age of its parents when it was conceived increases.

Dr. Patrick Sharman and other scientists at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation in the University of Exeter analyzed nearly 25 years of British racing results: 906,027 races from 101,257 Thoroughbreds that were the offspring of 2,887 stallions and 41,107 mares.

The scientists found a “significant effect” of maternal age on speed, with each additional year at conception decreasing offspring speed by 0.017 yards per second. This could mean a one second difference between horses born to a 5-year-old mare and a 15-year-old mare in a race covering a mile.

Paternal age was found to decrease at 0.011 yards per second for every increasing year of age of the stallion.

The scientists hope their findings will prompt further research into how parental age influences are transmitted to offspring.

Spot A Stressed Out Horse By His Blinks

Scientists at the University of Guelph have found that stressed horses blink less than horses in a calm state of mind. The research team studied 33 horses in four different situations: standing in a paddock with a familiar horse; not being fed at the traditional time; being visually separated from the herd; and having a ball thrown to them.

Each horse wore a heart rate monitor that took readings every five seconds during the three-minute study periods. All horses and sessions were taped, reports EQUUS magazine.

The scientists analyzed the footage and found that when horses were with their herd mate in a familiar pasture, they blinked eight or nine times per minute. During the other three activities, the horses blinked less often.

During separation and feed restriction, the horses blinked about five times per minute. When the ball was thrown at the ground in front of them, the horses blinked about four times per minute.

The researchers also found that the horses' heart rates increased and the muscles surrounding the eyes twitched more often during the feed deprivation test. The team concludes that this information can be used as a way to determine whether a horse is stressed.